Inquest: questions raised over treatment of drug user Darren Pantall

A police officer who watched a known drug user swallow a packet of drugs before he died failed to follow official guidelines because the officer did not seek immediate medical attention, an inquest has heard.

A police officer who watched a known drug user swallow a packet of drugs before he died failed to follow official guidelines because the officer did not seek immediate medical attention, an inquest has heard.

Darren Pantall, 45, was about to be arrested in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, in connection with an assault when he was seen swallowing what was thought to be a “bag of white powder”.

But instead of calling for an ambulance, arresting officer PC Chris Neve called for back up and decided to take Mr Pantall to a police station’s custody suite a “short walk” away.

The incident began at around 5.30pm on November 30 last year.

When Mr Pantall collapsed minutes later, officers administered first aid and an ambulance was called, but he later died at Prince Philip Hospital.

Giving evidence before a jury at the inquest in Carmarthen, PC Neve admitted he was not aware of the guidelines drawn up by The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) relating to swallowed drugs.

PC Neve said he called for back up in case Mr Pantall, who has a history of violence, became aggressive.

However, the officer admitted that apart from swearing at the him and elbowing him, away, he was not showing signs of violence.

He said that despite being certain Mr Pantall had ingested drugs, he did not feel comfortable driving Mr Pantall to hospital himself and made the decision to seek help from the station’s nearby facilities.

However, while radioing for help he did not tell anyone Mr Pantall had taken any drugs.

“At the time I was just calling for back up. There wasn’t enough time to give all the details and detain Mr Pantall,” he said.

Under cross examination, he read aloud a section form the ACPO document which said: “If it is known or suspected that a detainee has swallowed or packed drugs, either for the purpose of trafficking or to avoid imminent arrest or detention by the police, the person must be treated as needing urgent medical attention and taken straight to the nearest hospital.

“Leakage from a package can prove fatal. If a package has been swallowed hastily to avoid detection, it is likely to have been prepared hastily and there is an imminent risk that it may come open or burst inside the person. If this happens death can follow.”

Asked by barrister Elizabeth Marshall, where he was aware of the guidelines, PC Neve said: “No”.

Mrs Marshall asked if PC Neve was aware that Mr Pantall has a history of swallowing drug packages, referring to incidents in 2004 and 2009. He replied: “No”.

PC Neve described the police station as being the same as three times the court room’s length away from the arrest .

He had been assisted by two of his colleagues in making the arrest, but on returning to the station, despite some protests and swearing, Mr Pantall had eventually become drowsy and began to close his eyes.

“At the time of arrest he show no signs of choking or wheezing and was able to walk to the station unaided,” said PC Neve.

“Given that it was rush hour, I considered it would have potentially taken me longer to drive Prince Phillip Hospital than it did for the paramedics to get to the police station.”

Asked if he would have done anything differently, now he was aware of the guidelines, he said: “No, they are only guidelines and I think I made the best decision based on where I was located.”

Mr Pantall was one of two men to be sent to prison for dumping the body of Llanelli DJ Marcus Cleobury in 2008, after taking heroin with him in a North Dock garage. Mr Pantall was jailed for two years in 2009, with Gareth Ladd.

During the sentencing, it emerged that, in the late 1980s, Mr Pantall was also sent to prison for 10 years for the manslaughter of his mother-in-law.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is leading an investigation into the incident involving Mr Pantall’s death.

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